KILDARE: Disappearance of Deirdre Jacob to feature on RTE series on Monday

The RTE documentary, MISSING: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle on RTE One on Monday evening will feature the disappearance of Deirdre Jacob aged 18 from Newbridge in July 28, 1998. 

Two years after the disappearance of Annie McCarrick in 1993, more young women go missing. 

In response to a public outcry, then Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne announces the establishment of Operation TRACE in 1998 to review six initial cases: Annie McCarrick, Fiona Pender, Fiona Sinnott, Deirdre Jacob, Jo Jo Dullard and Ciara Breen.   

Monday night’s documentary on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player hears from Assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey, who was recruited to lead the operation. He selected a small team of experienced investigators to review the cases and for the first time examine potential links between the disappearances.   

Former assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey tells MISSING: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle: “Alibis, they’re as good as the weakest link. We tried to learn from what was being done in other countries.” He adds: “In three of the cases there were very good suspects.”   

However, from the outset, the team face an uphill challenge. His colleague and fellow Operation TRACE team member Alan Bailey says: “With Operation TRACE in many respects we didn’t even have proof that a crime had been committed.” 

The TRACE team expands its search to take in other cases, including the 1993 disappearance of 22-year-old Imelda Keenan from Waterford city.  Operation TRACE team member Alan Bailey reveals in the programme that he was surprised to hear the case was categorised as a possible suicide.  He says: “Now that left the door open that it may not have been but I’d be afraid that a category like that or categorising something like that could colour the approach to it.” 


For Imelda’s brother, Gerry Keenan, the revelation that his sister’s case was classified in this way makes no sense.  He tells the programme: “Imelda would never ever think of suicide.  I don’t think Imelda would ever consider that.” “Deep down, in my own heart I think that Imelda was murdered in Waterford.  I think Imelda knew her murderer.”   

Gerry Keenan is calling for the case to be upgraded to a murder investigation and has written to the Garda authorities seeking answers. He says: "Is this a missing or a murder case? After 29 years, this has to be (a) murder case.  We want the Gardaí to look into it more for us and give us peace.” 

He adds: “I always believed that there is two or three people here in Waterford City holding back vital information. We want someone to come forward please and just take us out of this pain.”  

An Garda Siochana has confirmed that the disappearance of Imelda Keenan remains listed as a missing person case.  

The documentary also looks at other high-profile cases, including the kidnap, rape and attempted murder of a woman in 2000 by Larry Murphy within the location that has become known as the Vanishing Triangle. This attack was also part of the review by the Operation TRACE team.  

Former Assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey says: “From our point of view, it was quite close to where we were operating from. It was in the region concerned – more or less the centre of what was called the Triangle.” 

Retired detective Alan Bailey explains: “Larry, of course, because of the modus operandi he used in the abduction and assault became a person of interest to the Operation Trace investigation.” “I mean, he ticked an awful lot of boxes for us... We went back to school, to work and all that just to establish a picture of him and see if we could connect him to any of our missing persons “   

“There was no obvious link and we were saying to ourselves he ticks a lot of boxes so he was a person of interest,” he adds. 


In MISSING: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle, Larry Murphy’s estranged brother Tom reveals that the last time he saw Larry was in 2005 in Arbour Hill Prison.    

“I asked him had he anything to do with the missing women. I wasn’t happy with his answers. I wasn’t at all happy with them.  I didn’t get any answers,” he says. “I never want to see him again. I can’t begin to comprehend the suffering these families are going through. They get up in the morning to a house, their daughter is not there. They’re sitting watching the front door to open for her to walk in. I have a daughter myself. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like. I just can’t.”   

While Larry Murphy remains a person of interest, Gardai have never been able to uncover sufficient evidence to connect him to the disappearance of any of the missing women featured in the series. 

Watch the second part of MISSING: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle Monday night at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player